I am not a teacher—I’m an artist, a “picture person.” But when our third child, Christopher, finished kindergarten without knowing the alphabet, numbers, or colors, I was determined to help my son learn. During the summer, I made the letters of the alphabet from chenille wire and tried to teach him that way. It was […]
hands-on learning
Activity: Learning with a Pumpkin
One thing many children look forward to about fall is getting to carve or decorate a pumpkin. As a parent, you can capitalize on that excitement by squeezing some learning in with all of the fun. Here are some ways to practice science and math skills with your child while pumpkin carving. Before carving the […]
5 Ways to See if Your Child is Learning
Have you ever instructed your child to clean their room without checking on their work? Would you let your child bake some cookies by themselves before you observed that they’ve mastered measuring ingredients or using the oven? In the same way, we have to check on our children to make sure they’ve learned what we’re […]
Quizzing with Hands-on Activities
The Lord has gifted my first two daughters very differently. My six-year-old enjoys quiet, motionless activities such as reading. Even before she could read, we would find her curled up with a picture book, soaking in the illustrations. Our second daughter is always in motion. Even when she colors, she bounces in her seat. She seems […]
Hands-on Learning Involves the Whole Mind
Family gatherings provide memorable educational experiences. When my dad’s side of the family gets together, we often spend time gazing up at the night sky. It can make for a long evening, but the whole experience is worth it! Our family scientist sets up his telescope, someone checks the weather, and another person might pull […]
There’s More Than One Way to Learn
While teaching a Bible club lesson to a group of children at a local elementary school, I noticed that a boy named Ryan was having a rather difficult time. He didn’t participate in songs, and he didn’t seem to get much out of oral lessons with visual presentations. He was rarely able to answer questions […]